(CNN) – A progressive group is again taking on some Democratic state legislators, calling on Friday for them to drop their membership or association with the American Legislative Exchange Council.

ALEC bills itself as a think tank and research resource that brings together state legislators and private business leaders. It says it does not lobby, but holds meetings which bring together legislators and business leaders, as well as provides draft legislation and research to state policymakers.FULL POST

(CNN) – President Barack Obama's re-election team increased their war chest by roughly $20 million in March, bringing the incumbent Democrat's cash on hand funds to just over $104 million, more than ten times the amount his likely Republican challenger Mitt Romney declared in federal filings Friday.

The financial disclosure from Obama's campaign comes after the announcement Monday his team had raised $53 million in the month of March, an increase of $8 million from the month before. $35 million was raised by Obama's campaign, and the remainder was brought in by the Democratic National Committee.FULL POST

CNN's GUT CHECK | for April 20, 2012 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

BREAKING:THE CARTAGENA PROBE WIDENS – CNN’s Barbara Starr reports the number of military members being investigated has gone from 10 to 11. The additional military member is from the U.S. Army. With the 11 Secret Service members being investigated– the total number now is now 22-- Secret Service and military: Six are from the Army, two from the Marines, two from the Navy and one from the Air Force. All of the Army personnel are from the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). The Marine Corps and Navy personnel involved are all from San Diego, and the Air Force member is from Charleston, South Carolina.

Kobach, who co-authored Arizona's illegal immigration law and currently serves as Kansas Secretary of State, said in an interview Friday that he still considers himself an "informal adviser" to Romney. Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul agreed with that assessment in an email to CNN.FULL POST

(CNN) - Sen. Scott Brown's campaign cried "hypocrite" at Elizabeth Warren on Friday over her decision not to pay the optional higher tax rate on her state return.

Warren, the Democrat who's challenging Brown for his U.S. senate seat in Massachusetts, has been a stalwart advocate for the so-called Buffett Rule–a proposal advanced by the Obama administration that calls on people making more than $1 million a year to pay federal taxes amounting to at least 30% of their income.FULL POST

Scottsdale, Arizona (CNN) - Members of the Republican National Committee gathering in Arizona were invited to meet with Mitt Romney in private Friday and have their pictures taken with the presumptive GOP nominee, but there was a price of admission: loyalty.

RNC members and state GOP chairmen were welcomed into the private reception only after signing a form pledging to support Romney as a delegate to the national convention in Tampa.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's campaign continued to face outrage and claims of "wasteful spending" of taxpayer money on Friday as the candidate keeps his Secret Service detail, which could cost north of $40,000 per day.

"Newt Gingrich just needs to really do the right thing and do the particularly responsible thing and say, 'Okay, I don't need Secret Service protection anymore,'" David Williams, president of the taxpayers watchdog group Taxpayers Protection Alliance, told CNN.FULL POST

(CNN) - Sen. Orrin Hatch's political future rests in the hands of 4,000 delegates who will select the party's nominee at Saturday's state Republican convention.

In the last year, the six-term incumbent spent millions of dollars to fend off challenges from candidates and outside groups seeking to drive him out of the Senate - a fate that so far looks unlikely for Hatch.FULL POST

(CNN) – Jeb Bush, whose endorsement of Mitt Romney helped secure the candidate as the all-but-certain GOP nominee, said an interview Romney should avoid the urge to wage a negative campaign. The popular former Florida governor also offered up his pick for Romney's running mate, and said he'd consider a spot on the GOP ticket if asked.

"I think Mitt needs to stay above the fray a bit, and to offer a hopeful message that can lift people's spirits up," Bush said in an interview this week with the conservative website Newsmax. Video of the interview was posted on Newsmax's website.FULL POST

"After a long primary, it is time for the Republican Party to come together and support the candidate who will defeat President Obama. That is why I am proud to support Mitt Romney," the Arizona senator said in a statement.FULL POST